The technology industry, one of the country’s largest employers ’organizations, has announced plans to partially withdraw from collective bargaining by splitting future functions between two separate organizations.
Inside something Press release (external link) published on Thursday, the association announced that responsibility for national collective agreements would be transferred to a new employers’ organization called Technology industry employers (roughly translated as technology industry employers).
The new association will start operations in August and the Finnish Technology Industry will end all labor market negotiations at the same time.
The updated structure means that member companies can choose to participate in nationwide collective bargaining through a new association.
Companies that do not want to join a new collective bargaining association will in future negotiate working conditions directly with employees on a company-by-company basis, while maintaining the original membership of the association.
"The goal has long been that working conditions can be agreed more within companies. Now we are really in a situation where companies are allowed to decide on their own customized solutions," chairman of the organization Marjo Miettinen said.
Focus on lobbying, supporting non-collective members
In the future, the Finnish Technology Industry will focus on influencing labor market policy and supporting member companies that enter into company-specific agreements.
"We believe that by increasing our position, we are best able to ensure success in international competition and thus improve employment and the well-being of Finland as a whole," Minna Helle, the association ‘s director of employment relations, told Yle.
Yle News’ weekly podcast All Points North explained the background of Finnish employment relationships and the labor market in the past year. You can listen to the episode through this embedded player, Yle Areena, Spotify, iTunes or a standard pod player using an RSS feed.
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Helle added that the goal is not to change collective bargaining or weaken working conditions, but to give member companies more options. Helle worked as a national mediator in labor disputes in 2014-2018.
The Finnish Technology Industry has about 1,600 member companies, which are responsible for about half of Finland’s exports, and includes five subsectors; information technology, electronics and electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, metal industry, consulting design.
Last autumn, the Finnish Forest Industry Association (FFIF) announced that it was abandoning collective bargaining in the Finnish labor market.
Source: The Nordic Page